We All Have A Purpose
by WolfDreams14
Summary: "How do you know you're doing the right thing? Is there a certain feeling you get, or vision? Does a higher power whisper in your ear?" I asked. "Or is it all nonsense? There is no right or wrong answer. But if that's the case then why do I feel so guilty?" "You're not on drugs, right?"


_A/N: all OC's are mine, everything else isn't_

* * *

I sat dutifully in the passenger seat of the car with a map of Ontario, Canada laid out on my lap. Scanning the series of highways and roads, I glanced up as we passed a roadway sign and saw that we were fifty-two kilometers from our destination. Folding the map back up, I tucked it back into the glove box and leaned back in my seat tiredly. We had been driving for eight hours, give or take the few stops we made for snacks and bathroom emergencies. Not to mention that the last three days had been spent driving across the Canadian provinces, from one literal end to the other, just to spend a few months with our aunt Bella while our mom worked on finding a new job either back in Cranbrook or here in White Chapel.

My mom was a nurse with a master's degree under her belt, and she never failed to mention it when it came up in conversation. She was proud of her higher education; I mean I would be too if worked my ass off working two jobs and raising two kids. It took her a little longer than normal to complete her schooling, but she graduated with honors and I was beyond happy for her as I watched my mother walk across the stage. Dawned in her red cap and gown with the gold tassel and a beaming smile on her face, she received her diploma at thirty-two years old.

"Want to drive?" My brother joked. I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

"Not if you want us rolled over in the ditch," I quipped.

He rolled his eyes and took out a cigarette from his pack and lit it. The smell of the tobacco comforted me, and I was half tempted to ask for one, but only for the scent it offered. It reminded me of my dad, when he would come back inside from his smoke break smelling of cigarettes and smoke, a time that was long ago.

"At least roll down the window a bit, some of us have baby lungs," I huffed, cracking my window open slightly. It had been raining since this morning and it had yet to stop, making the air slightly chilled, even though it was midsummer.

Lucas only grunted in response, but he did roll down his window a couple of inches. Even though he was the oldest by two years, he still had the tendency to act like a child, leaving me to either clean up his mess or cover for him while he snuck out with friends. I didn't mind though; it was almost exciting to watch my brother get away with things that I never would have if I was the one doing them. His wrong doings ranged from smoking weed in the boy's bathroom to vandalizing public property while drunk past the legal limit allowed for a minor. Because my mom was close to quite a few people in town, Lucas got off the hook for almost everything. Except for the two weeks he spent in the juvenile detention center last month. That seemed to smarten him up a bit.

My cell phone rang, and I flipped it open. "Iris speaking, how may I help you?"

Lucas snorted from the drivers seat. He then looked to me with raised brows and mouthed _who is it? Mom?_ I shook my head and quickly flashed him the caller ID, the name 'Aunt Bellatrix' read across the screen. He rolled his eyes in response. My brother didn't like our aunt Bella because he claimed she was "too excitable, nosy, and a glutton." Of course, those were the reasons I liked our aunty. She was exuberant, a good listener, and knew how to cook amazing food. Granted, it's been a few years since we last saw her, but we talked regularly.

"Very funny, Iris. Where are you guys? You were supposed to be here a couple hours ago," Bella said anxiously.

We passed a sign that read:

_Welcome to White Chapel_

_Population 12,830_

"We should be there in about fifteen minutes, we're just pulling into town," I said.

I could hear her breathe a sigh of relief. "Alright. Try not to crash the car in between that time. I would never hear the end of it from my sister," Bella muttered teasingly before hanging up.

The duration of the ride was spent mostly in silence as we both took in the sight of White Chapel. We even passed by the high school, and though it was nice looking enough I still loathed the thought of going back to school in a couple weeks. The prospect of having to make new friends was daunting and the thought made my palms sweat. My freshman year was a breeze, my old friends from eighth grade carrying on over to ninth, and the work came easy, so I had no problem making the honor roll every semester. However, this school was different. The town was bigger, and the school probably expected more from their students. My mom told me not to worry, that I was overreacting, and even though I didn't have any plans to go to college, I still felt like I had something to prove.

We pulled up to the house and parked in the driveway next to our aunts Subaru outback. The house was an off white, standard two-story with a large oak tree in the back yard. It looked exactly like how I remembered it from when I was little, and I would climb to the very top of that tree every summer when we used to visit. I could only imagine that the inside was the same as well; with cluttered shelves and bookcases overflowing. The smell of freshly baked cupcakes was stamped into memory.

I just stepped out of the car when I heard the front door open and out came our aunt Bella, a light skip in her step as she greeted us with a smile. Lucas came around the side of the car and he was swept up into her arms. Next to our aunt, Lucas looked like a giant. Standing at nearly six feet, my brother managed to make a lot of people look small, but our aunt didn't help either in the fact that she was a little over five feet herself.

"Oh, my baby nephew. I'm so glad you guys made it safe and sound. Hopefully the roads weren't too bad?" She asked, giving Lucas a sloppy kiss on the cheek. He grunted and tried to pull away, but Bella kept him locked in her embrace a few seconds longer before relenting.

"A little slick from the rain, but it was easy going," Lucas responded, popping the back of the car and grabbing his luggage.

I hugged my aunt tightly, her arms circling my waist with surprising strength for a woman of her stature. She smelt of pine and earth, and something slightly chemical that made my head swarm with nostalgia. It was familiar and comforting. Just like with my brother, Bella placed a smacking wet kiss to my cheek and pulled away.

"And you my dear, are as beautiful as a sunflower," she claimed, twirling a piece of my hair between her fingers. "I'm glad you guys are here. It had been far too long, and your aunty was beginning to go mad."

I chuckled and went to grab my bags well, shuffling a bit to close the back hatch. "Thanks, aunt Bella."

Together we all strode into the house, and just like I predicted, it smelt like sweets and old books. Various knick knacks, coffee mugs, and magazines littered every surface. I even spotted a few crystals of various colors that hippies used to cleanse their chakras of bad energy. Or something of the sort. My aunt was kind of weird like that, but it endeared her to me, because even though she seemed kind of scatter brained at first, I knew she was very knowledgeable and knew what she was doing when it came to a lot of things. How else did she graduate with an associate degree in natural biology.

"I have the two rooms cleaned out, so you guys can fight over who gets which, and dinner is ready. I expect you both at the table in ten minutes," Bella said, doing a sort of waltz into the living room. My brother and I both shot each other confused but otherwise amused looks. We knew our aunt tended to be whimsical, but she was a little off since we last seen her. Granted it was years ago, and people changed, but she seemed different.

Shrugging it off, we ascended the stairs and right off the bat Lucas chose the bigger looking room. Similar in style, but different in size, I got the room at the end of the hall, right across from the bathroom. I set my bags down at the foot of the twin sized bed and then proceeded the plop myself onto the mattress. My body felt like it was floating in midair I was so exhausted. My lower back ached like I was suddenly fifty years older and worked my entire life in the fields as a picker. The room was decent, though very bland. I knew I'd have to spruce it up myself, and my mind raced with ideas as to what was to go where and which posters I was going to hang up.

Dinner was fettucine alfredo and chicken, my favorite. Conversation flowed easily between the three of us, and a few times we had to stop eating to catch our breath we were laughing so hard. It felt like old times when we would come and spend a couple weeks here with our aunt, and the only thing missing was our mom. Her absence didn't put a damper on things, we all still managed to have a good time with the three of us, but it was a principle that our mom was always here when we were. Nevertheless, we cleared the table and washed the dishes before heading to the living room and popping in a movie.

I basked in the calm aura, and a funny inkling told me it had to do with the amethyst and celestite crystals on the coffee table.

* * *

The next morning was a Saturday and I had already planned to go out and do a little shopping around town, as well as get a feel for the area. I let my aunt in on the plans, and she agreed, even going as far as to lend me her car if I filled the tank. I happily agreed and after helping clean up after breakfast I snatched the dangling keys from my aunts' hand and pressed a quick kiss to her waiting cheek before departing out the door.

My first stop was at an office supply store, where I purchased a few spiral notebooks, pens, and pencil. I even grabbed a couple folders and a planner as well as color coded sticky notes before I was on my way again. Next was a bookstore on the main stretch of city center. I took comfort in the smell of aging paper and did some browsing in the fiction area. Nothing really caught my interest, however as I was about to leave, I saw at the corner of my eye, a small book on the uses of different crystals and their benefits. It took a few seconds before I convinced myself I should buy it, perhaps my aunt and I will have something else to talk about now.

Just as I was exiting the shop a short girl with long, straight brown hair brushed past inside with two boys not far behind. She easily ignored the two bickering behind her, looking suave in her blacked out sunglasses and leather jacket. Although their voices were hushed, I heard the occasional "visions" and "powers." Chalking it up to be geek talk, I ignored the trio and continued my way over to a coffee shop just across the street.

After ordering I sat patiently at a window seat and took out the book, scanning the back for it's summery before reading the introduction:

_Whether you're already a devoted member of the crystal-obsessed fan club or are very newly crystal curious- welcome. I'm so glad you have found this book._

I was five pages in when my coffee and sandwich arrived. Thanking the employee, I dug into my sandwich. The book presented an interesting thought: we are all made of stardust. It threw my mind a bit, and as I ate my meal, I caught myself staring blankly at a painting on the wall. It was astrologically inspired, with stars and planets surrounded by the spiraling milky way. The thought of being made of stardust made my stomach flutter in childish wonderment. It made me feel special, like my life had purpose because what was the chance of a star exploding into a billion pieces and then coming together to build a construct of several planets of varying sizes and –

"Hey, there, beautiful."

I snapped my eyes to a tall, teenage boy, the one I saw earlier, sliding into the seat across from me. His hair was flipped and messy, and he wore a stripped polo shirt and black, zip up sweater. He smiled easily at me, flashing a row of perfectly white teeth and a slight dimple on his right cheek. Behind him I saw the short brunette girl with crossed arms and a boy who looked very anxious.

"Can I help you?" I asked, setting my sandwich down.

"The names Benny, and you?" He said easily, so much so that it surprised me.

"Iris," I simply answered, eyes darting to the pair now sitting at a booth across the shop. The were now wrapped up in conversation with a large, old looking book between them on the table. By their body language, I could tell that the conversation was serious.

"Ah, the apple to my eye," he joked, leaning forward with his chin in his hand. I noticed he bright green eyes. "Fun fact, yours look purple."

I nodded. "A lot of people say that, it's from my moms' side, but really they're just blue," I answered lamely. I decided to quickly change the topic and asked, "is there a reason you're talking to me?"

This Benny guy seemed friendly enough, but his sudden appearance put me on edge and rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like my bubble had been popped and I could feel my patience running thin.

He was about to answer when his friends came over and stood at the head of my table. "Come on, Benny. We've got important stuff to do." The anxious boy looked from Benny to me, and gave me a small, nervous smile before exiting the coffee shop with his friend sputtering and protesting as the girl all but dragged him out.

I was left confused, and quickly threw away my trash before heading back to the car to head home.


End file.
